Kiln for drying lumber



NOV. 29, 1949 H. L. RUSSELL ETAL 2,489,820

KILN Fon DRYING LUMBER f Filed Aug. 11, 1947 5 Sheets-)Sheet l" Fig.

Inventors Nov. 29, 1949 H, RUSSELL ETAL 2,489,820

KILN FOR DRYING LUMBER Filed Aug. 11, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Harry L.Russe/l Hayward H. McManus ena/wwf Hmm Nov. 29, 1949 Filed Aug. l1, 1947Fig. 3

IMEI/5 45 43 H. L. RUSSELL ET AL KILN FOR DRYING LUMBER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3Inventors Harry L. Russe/l Hayward H. McManus @Maafh l Ema;

Patented Nov. 29, 1949 KILN FOR DRYING LUMBER Harry L. vRussell andHayward H. McManus,

' Fordyce, Ark.

Application August 11, 1947, Serial No. 767,938

1 Claim.

. 1 Our invention relates to improvements in kilns for drying andseasoning green lumber.

The primary object of our invention is to pro vide a kiln for suchpurposes equipped with means for circulating heated air around carloadsof lumber, and through the same, in a manner to effect uniform drying ofall the lumber within* the confines of the kiln.

`vAnother object is to provide in such a kiln for circulating heated airas above set forth and in a manner to maintain the air dry.

Another object is to provide a kiln adapted for the above purposes andwhich is simple in construction and economical to erect and operate.

-Other and subordinate objects also comprehended by our invention,together with the precise nature of our improvements and the advantagesthereof, will bereadily understood when the succeeding description andclaim are read with reference to the drawings accompanying and formingpart of this specification.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal vertical section, partly broken away,of a kiln constructed in accordance with our invention in a preferredembodiment thereof;

Figure 2 is a view in plan partly broken away and shown in section;

Figure 3 is a view partly in end elevation and partly in transversesection taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

-Figure 4 is a detail View in transverse section taken on the line 4-4of Figure 1 and drawn to a larger scale; and

Figure 5 is a detail view in vertical section taken on the line 5--5 ofFigure 2 and drawn to a larger scale.

Referring now to the drawings by numerals,

our improved kiln, as shown, comprises a dry-V ing chamber I ofelongated, rectangular shape which may be of any desired length and isformed by side walls 2, a substantially flat roof 3, a rear end wall 4,a front wall 5 and a floor 6. The walls 2, 4, 5 are preferably formed ofbrick, the roof 3 of cement with a heat-retaining liner 6, and floor 6also of cement.

Parallel car tracks extend into the drying chamber I through the frontend thereof upon opposite sides of the longitudinal center of saidchamber I, on sleepers 9 suitably attached to the floor 6. The tracks 8provide for running the usual iiat bed kiln cars I IJ in said chamber Iin strings at opposite sides of said chamber I to support loads oflumber II stacked thereon in the usual crossed spaced relation to permitair to circulate through the loads. Suitable doors I2 in the front wall5 spaced above the tracks 8 provide for closing the front end of thedrying chamber I.

A manifold fuel pipe I3 extends from substantially the front end of thedrying chamber I to within a short distance of the rear Wall 1I,horizontally, at a level slightly above the level of the beds of thekiln cars I0, and in the longitudinal center of said chamber I with aclosed rear end I4 and upstanding jet burners l5 spaced equidistantlyalong the same. At the front end of the drying chamber I, a stand pipeI6 is provided for connecting the manifold pipe I3 to a `suitable sourceof fuel supply, such as oil, not shown. A control valve I'I of anysuitable type is provided in the front end of said manifold pipe I3.Brackets I8 spaced along said manifold pipe I3' support the same in thelongitudinal center of a concrete, or the like, base I9 extending alongthe oor 6 in the longitudinal center of the drying chamber I and onwhich said brackets I8 are suitably xed, as at 20.

An elongated heat-radiating guard 2l of inverted V-shape in crosssection and preferably formed of sheet metal straddles said manifoldpipe I3 and brackets I8 and extends along the base I9 in thelongitudinal center of the drying chamber I with its ends spacedsufliciently from the end Walls 4, 5 for admitting air into said guardsubstantially part way to the roof 3 and serving f a particular purposepresently seen.

A plurality of fans 2li are provided in the top of the drying chamber Iand are spaced longitudinally thereof to rotate about vertical axesvertically aligned with the guard 2l. The fans 24 are of a type adaptedto blow air downwardly when rotating in one direction and to suck airupwardly when rotating in a reverse direction. Vertical fan shafts 25,upon the lower ends of which said fans 24 are fixed, support the fans 24substantially midway between the upper edge of the guard 2l and the roof3. The fan shafts 25 depend through the roof 3 by way of bushings 2Bextending through said roof and a floor 2l of a superstructure 28,presently described, and said shafts are rotatably mounted in ballbearings 29 in suitable bearing cages 3d xed to said floor 21 as at 3l.

thrust collars 40 on the fan shafts 25 prevent Y end play of said shaftsin the ball bearings 29.

The superstructure 28 is of skeletonang-le iron v form with a suitablypitched roof 4l and is adapted to protect the described motor drive for:the fans 24, also the bearing cages 30, from 'the Weather.

A plurality of chimneys 42 are provided in the roof 3 at opposite sidesof the drying chamber l, the purpose of which will presently beexplained.

Anysuitable .means may abe Aprovided for :lighting the `iet burners .t54t-hrougl'i the guard 2|, for instance, apertures 43 in the baille sides23 of said guard.

Referring .now .to .the .use and operation of the described kiln. `Withthe kiln `cars In loaded with lumber .l l .as=described .and run instrings into the drying chamber the .doors :l2 are closed and the `ietburners lI5 .lighted to heat the air in the drying chamber I .to .adesired temperature ,by heating .theguard 2| ,principally After thedesired temperature is obtained in the drying chamber i, .the .motor 32-is started, by any suitable means, not shown, to cause the fans 24 tobe ,revolved Ain .a direction to blow downwardly. Such operationof saidfans ,2li vblows the heated air downwardly Vagainst the downwardlydiverging .baille sides123 of the guard v2l which deflect air currentsldownwardly toward opposite sides of 'the drying chamber I,.such:deflected .currents rising at 'the sides of .said chamber and beingsucked across the Vtop .of .the chamber .backinto the fans. Thus,currents-,of heated airare caused to describe circles, substantially,around the stacks of lumber lil, as represented by the full line.arrowsin Figure V3. By reversing the motor 32, the fans '.24 maybe reversed.to suck heated air upwardly in converging currents from .opposite sidesof the guard 2| to be blown .in opposite directionsagainst the roof 3and to rebound from said roof downwardly at opposite sides of the dryingchamber l to then rebound off the side walls downwardly and toward theguard 2|, whereby such air currents are caused to describe .circlesaround the stacks of 'lumber ,Il in a reverse -direction relative to'theair currents first described, and as shown 'by the'brokenline arrows in`Eig-- ure 3. As the circulating air currents pick up moisture from thestacks o'f'lurnber -Il and "become saturated therewith, such saturatedair may be permitted to escape out of the chimneys 42 under control ofany suitable means, not shown, this feature providing for maintainingthe air circulated substantially dry, or sufficiently dry for seasoningthe lumber.

The foregoing will, it is believed, sufce to impart a clearunderstanding of our invention without further explanation.

.Manifestly, the-invention, as described, is susceptible of modiicationwithout departing from the inventive concept and right is herein re-V"served to such modications as fall within the s `:scope -of Vtheappended claim.

Having described the invention, what is claimed 1as new Ais:

'Tn a kiln for seasoning lumber, an elongated rdryingchamber,longitudinally extending parallel tracks at opposite sides of saidchamber, cars on `said'tracks for supporting loads of lumber, a manifoldfuel pipe in the longitudinal center of saidichambelextendingalong thesame and vhavlng burners spaced apart longitudinally thereof;

a :hollow air gdeecting heat radiating member extendingalong said pipeand over the sameand comprising closed downwardly diverging zbale sidesand being closed at its bottom with open ends `for admitting air intothe same to said burners for combustion purposes, and overhead fans insaid chamber extending in a line .longitudina'lly of the vchamber rabovesaid .member in vertical alignment therewith and rotating about verticalaxes, said -fans being adapted to blow air currents downwardly againstsaid sides of said rmember to be heated and deflected `by :said sidesdownwardly .toward opposite sides oi the chamber for deection upwardlyby the sides vof thechamber andby the top of the chamber back to ,saidfans whereby heated currents of air are caused to travel insubstantially circular paths around Vthe Ystacks of lumber.

`HARRY L. RUSSELL. `HAYWARD H. MCMANUS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain 1934

